SATOBS ML (5353) PHOTO, 20 Nov 2020: two NROL-101 objects

From: Marco Langbroek via Seesat-l <seesat-l_at_satobs.org>
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2020 17:25:07 +0100
Last night I imaged a second object possibly from the NROL-101 launch.

It is in an approximately 10500 km, 58.8 degree inclined MEO orbit. It is slowly
variable, with a peak-to-peak period of about 3 minutes. I suspect this is the
Centaur upper stage from the launch.


99998 20 083B   4353 G 20201120031632020 17 75 0243485+439290 15 R
99998 20 083B   4353 G 20201120032352020 17 75 0333262+393930 15 R
99998 20 083B   4353 G 20201120033602020 17 75 0440094+288330 15 R
99998 20 083B   4353 G 20201120034252020 17 75 0509540+219030 15 R
99998 20 083B   4353 G 20201120034642020 17 75 0524389+178570 15 R
99998 20 083B   4353 G 20201120035622020 17 75 0557017+074860 15 R
99998 20 083B   4353 G 20201120035822020 17 75 0603026+053450 15 R


The other object observed on the 18th, possibly the payload USA 310, was also
imaged again:

99999 20 083X   4353 G 20201120000932020 17 75 0119571+575380 15 S
99999 20 083X   4353 G 20201120001932020 17 75 0258019+551090 15 S
99999 20 083X   4353 G 20201120002932020 17 75 0418038+483070 15 S
99999 20 083X   4353 G 20201120003832020 17 75 0511050+398600 15 S

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Canon EOS 80D + Samyang 2.0/135 mm + DCF77 clock + ASTRORECORD
What these numbers mean: http://www.satobs.org/position/IODformat.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: a possible third object has been reported in private to me by an observer
(with short observing arc). That one appears to be in a lower orbit, with
different inclination. Relationship to NROL-101 is uncertain, but possible.
I tried to find it last night but weather in that part of the night did not
cooperate.

Preliminary elset for the variable object (eccentricity and mean motion still
very preliminary, but you should be able to find it with this elset):


NROL-101 Centaur rb (?)
1 99998U 20083B   20325.05807751 0.00000000  00000-0  00000+0 0    04
2 99998  58.8264 292.5498 0070000 327.1858  32.4277  4.01148244    00


Updated elset for the other object:

NROL-101 payload USA 310 (?)
1 99999U 20083X   20324.93465283 0.00000000  00000-0  00000+0 0    01
2 99999  58.5353 293.3794 0007884 281.4110  78.5436  3.77320712    02

RMS 0.005                   from 11 observations Nov 18.17 - 20.03 UT



VERY APPROXIMATE search elset for the possible third object (I reccomend a plane
search):

UNID
1 99998U 20823UN  20323.77270931 0.00000000  00000-0  00000-0 0    08
2 99998  46.7639 283.7694 0001341 212.7426 242.4519  7.72552504    08



The weather was interchangingly cloudy and clear.

In the early evening, had a misadventure where I noted it was clearing, hastilly
set up the video in the attic window and outside into the courtyard with my
photo camera: to realise, once outside, that I had forgotten my keys and locked
myself out! Of course, my Girlfriend was not at home (I keep a spare set in her
appartment) but luckily one of the neighbours has a key of her and let me into
my gf's appartment - where it turned ouyt that teh spare set was at her
keychain, so not in the house. Meanwhile, it started to rain seriously, while
the attic window was still open and the WATEC set up there!

To cut a long story short: soaked attic, soaked camera and lens, which however
seems to have survived.


- Marco


-----
Dr Marco Langbroek  -  SatTrackCam Leiden, the Netherlands.
e-mail: sattrackcam_at_langbroek.org

Cospar 4353 (Leiden):     52.15412 N, 4.49081 E (WGS84), +0 m ASL
Cospar 4355 (Cronesteyn): 52.13878 N, 4.49937 E (WGS84), -2 m ASL
Station (b)log: http://sattrackcam.blogspot.com
Twitter: _at_Marco_Langbroek
-----
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Received on Fri Nov 20 2020 - 12:45:36 UTC

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